Ernst Jünger Libri

Oriente e Occidente rappresentano un incontro di importanza capitale, secondo Ernst Jünger, che nel suo Nodo di Gordio sottolinea come questo evento sia centrale nella Storia. Tuttavia, tale incontro si è spesso trasformato in scontro, con i popoli che si esibiscono su un palcoscenico antico, dominato dal fulgore delle armi. Le riflessioni di Jünger, scritte nel 1953, risultano attuali nel contesto della lotta tra l'Occidente liberaldemocratico e l'Oriente totalitario. Per Jünger, la polarità Oriente-Occidente è archetipica e simbolica, riflettendo le tensioni fondamentali dell'umanità e dell'individuo: mythos ed ethos, potere e libertà, arbitrio e diritto. Questa visione si contrappone a quella di Carl Schmitt, che due anni dopo propone una distinzione tra terra e mare: l'Oriente come mondo continentale (Russia e Asia) e l'Occidente come mondo marittimo (Inghilterra e America). Entrambi concordano nel vedere l'Europa come un "centro di gravità" che potrebbe favorire l'unità del pianeta, fungendo da Terza Forza.

Nei primi anni del dopoguerra, mentre si andava delineando quella integrazione planetaria nel nome della tecnica che oggi è sotto gli occhi di tutti, Ernst Jünger elaborò questo testo, apparso nel 1951, oggi più affilato che mai. La figura del Ribelle jüngeriano corrisponde a quella dell'anarca, del singolo braccato da un ordine che esige innanzitutto un controllo capillare e al quale egli sfugge scegliendo di «passare al bosco» – dissociandosi, una volta per sempre, dalla società. Il Ribelle jüngeriano sente di non appartenere più a niente e «varca con le proprie forze il meridiano zero». Tutta l'eredità del nichilismo, del radicalismo romantico e della furia anti-moderna si concentra in questa figura, qui osservata come facendo ruotare un cristallo. Letto oggi, questo testo appare di una impressionante preveggenza, quasi un guanto di sfida gettato in nome di una libertà preziosa: «la libertà di dire no».

Written in 1932, just before the fall of the Weimar Republic and on the eve of the Nazi accession to power, Ernst Junger's The Worker: Dominion and Form articulates a trenchant critique of bourgeois liberalism and seeks to identify the form characteristic of the modern age. Junger's analyses are inspired by a profound intuition of the movement of history.

Ernst Jünger's dream-like story Visit to Godenholm takes the reader on a strange journey to an island off an unknown Scandinavian coastline.

"Ernst Jeunger's Eumeswil is a post-apocalyptic novel that combines elements of dystopian science fiction with a sustained philosophical reflection on the predicament of the individual in the face of the intrusive powers of the state and technology. Set in an undated future, the novel follows the reflections of Martin Venator, a historian living in the city-state of Eumeswil, ruled by a dictator known as the Condor. Venator regards himself as an "anarch," a figure who quietly accommodates himself to life within a dictatorship while simultaneously pursuing a life of inward resistance. As an anarch, Venator is a figure without loyalty to anyone but himself, yet at the same time he must also take careful measures to maintain the security of his current situation and to provide a means for escape in the event the government is overthrown"--

Ernst Jünger, one of twentieth-century Germany's most important and controversial writers, faithfully kept a journal during the Second World War in occupied Paris, on the eastern front, and in Germany until its defeat--writings that are of major historical and literary significance. These wartime journals appear here in English for the first time.

"In Approaches, Ernst Jünger-decorated German officer of the two world wars, "conservative revolutionary," Hitler critic, and a prolific novelist-describes his experiences with drugs, ranging from youthful drinking bouts, through experiments with hashish and morphine, to mescaline, peyote and LSD. Taking his readers on a remarkable journey from beer to hallucinogen, he provides fascinating vignettes from key moments in Germany's troubled twentieth century. Approaches is also a fundamentally philosophical, even spiritual journey toward hidden dimensions of existence which, in Jünger's view, have been eclipsed by the ambient noise of modern life. The ecstatic altered states provided by drug use, he claims, can help us approach them and find a deeper truth"-- Provided by publisher

The memoir widely viewed as the best account ever written of fighting in WW1 A memoir of astonishing power, savagery, and ashen lyricism, Storm of Steel illuminates not only the horrors but also the fascination of total war, seen through the eyes of an ordinary German soldier. Young, tough, patriotic, but also disturbingly self-aware, Jünger exulted in the Great War, which he saw not just as a great national conflict but—more importantly—as a unique personal struggle. Leading raiding parties, defending trenches against murderous British incursions, simply enduring as shells tore his comrades apart, Jünger kept testing himself, braced for the death that will mark his failure. Published shortly after the war’s end, Storm of Steel was a worldwide bestseller and can now be rediscovered through Michael Hofmann’s brilliant new translation. For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Set against the backdrop of the Second World War, this work reflects Ernst Jünger's vision for Europe's future amidst turmoil and devastation. It serves not only as a historical document but also as a profound statement of hope and principle, showcasing Jünger's insights as a significant thinker of the 20th century. His exploration of the challenges facing Western Civilization offers a thoughtful perspective on resilience and the potential for renewal after years of conflict.